Forgive me readers, for I have lapsed. It’s been 12 days since my last post…

Sounds like I’m in the confessional. In a way, I guess I am. (That’s a Catholic reference, people).

I’m slowly working my way out of my funk.

I have been spending too much time on Facebook. But I’ve tracked down some friends – from when I was stationed in Grand Forks, from my first two years at Rutgers, from high school. It’s been kind of fun. And a total time suck.

I’ve been crazy busy with work projects. I have a new system with post it notes on a white board. It’s helping me stay slightly more organized.

I’ve been re-watching The OC on SoapNet and answering The OC trivia questions on Facebook. I know it’s crazy, but I just loved that show. Total escapism, lots of humor and I just think Ryan Atwood (portrayed by Ben McKenzie) is totally hot.

Plus the new tv season started! We’ve been watching Fringe, Supernatural, Eureka and My Name Is Earl. I also just watched the premiere of Grey’s Anatomy. Project Runway is finishing up. And I’m waiting for Private Practice, Desperate Housewives and Lipstick Jungle to start again. And of course, The Daily Show. It’s the only way I can get tolerable news of the presidential campaign. Is it over yet???

The boys are great. Zander’s loud and Zevan’s been having tantrums over nothing, but otherwise things are going well. Zander’s eye is better, Zevan’s chin is healing. Zander reads so much now. And Zevan is totally into drawing pictures – particularly of Jedi. They like school. We’re in a good routine with the grandparents. We’ve been to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science twice since we got our membership. We just got back from the last class of this month’s preschool zoo class. The boys made porcupines out of play doh and pasta.

I’ve got my routine down for my running workouts with May. Mondays are long runs on the Santa Fe Trail. Wednesdays are a 5 mi run in Ute Valley (super technical). Fridays are a 5 mi run in the Garden of the Gods (hilly) and Tiffany started with us this week. Tuesday nights are climbing. I really want to fit in one more climbing workout, but I’m not sure when I can do that.

The fall series starts Oct 5 – I’m looking forward to those races!

We’ve got a birthday party to leave for in half an hour. I need to wrap up the gift – okay, bag up the gift. And Mapquest directions.

So that’s it for now… Kind of boring, but it is what it is.

The night before the race, I got all my stuff ready – pinned my bib on my tank, put my chip on my shoe, stocked my belt with necessities (ID, money, hotel key) and nutrition – Clif Blok Shots – Margarita flavored. I checked my iPod and it was about 80% charged, so I left it to charge fully.

Kristine arrived around 10:00 PM. We set the alarm for 5:15 AM to give us time to get to the start at 6:00 AM.

I first woke up around 4:00 AM – UGH. I went to the bathroom, then tried to get more sleep. I am not sure if I actually fell asleep, but I rested at least until about 4:50 AM and got out of bed. I started getting washed up and dressed. Kristine got up when the alarm went off.

Things were going smoothly, I got my stuff together, checked my iPod and… it was now uncharged! It was down to the last red bar. WTF? Crap. I swore a few times, rechecked the cable, and decided to try and charge it for 15 minutes. We were going to leave around 5:30, but didn’t leave until 5:40.

We started the trek towards the gate. And then realized that the start was at the OTHER end of Downtown Disney – a bit farther than the 10 minute walk to the front gates.

We walked briskly – there were A LOT of people with bibs on, even behind us. As we neared the parking lot, we saw fireworks start to go – the first wave had gone. Corral A, B, then C would start. As we neared the starting line, I noticed I was in Corral C! Kristine was in Corral D. I asked someone where Corral C was and was informed- they already left. Oops.

So I booked it towards the starting line, fiddling with my iPod to get started. I think I might have been the last person in Corral C to cross the starting line. Mickey and Minnie were on the platform at the start. I waved mightily at them, then looked up to see Donald and Daisy in the monorail up ahead and waved, too.

I was off! And it was HUMID!

Course Map

My adrenaline was pretty high, I think – the first few miles were kind of a daze. We started down Disneyland Drive, where I caught up and passed the back of the Corral C pack. We turned the corner onto Katella – I remember the pretty palm tree lined street, and not much else.

From 20080830 Maida's Trip to California

I had decided that I would not check my pace on the iPod throughout the race – I thought it might drain the barely charged battery. Then another left onto Harbor for Mile 1. The clock read 0:18: something – so I started at least 6 minutes after the clock was started.

We ran through the parking lot, just water for me at the first station – I drank a few sips then poured the rest onto my head, then turned into the entrance of Disney’s California Adventure and were headed around Paradise Bay towards the pier when we hit Mile 2. I think the clock was at 0:30: something now. The first 2-3 miles of the race is always slow going as I try to find my pace and work through the pack.

We continued through DCA, then went through the tram area, and headed into the Disneyland entrance. I passed several characters – more like floats – that I wasn’t as interested in taking photos with. I got my first photo with Flik from A Bug’s Life, then a few minutes later, Buzz Lightyear.

From 20080830 Maida's Trip to California

We took a side route around to Tomorrowland, which looked VERY much like the Disney World Tomorrowland, and continued around through to Fantasyland for Mile 3. We went under the Sleeping Beauty Castle. We passed the 5k chip mats (37:10). Then I got a picture with the Finding Nemo crew.

From 20080830 Maida's Trip to California

We ran through Frontierland, Adventureland, then back out the park through the Tram Area, got just water at the next aid station – again a few sips and the rest on my head, and then onto Disneyland Drive for Mile 4.

From 20080830 Maida's Trip to California

Once we left the park – it was just a run with a lot of people. We turned onto Ball Road – another few sips of water for me, then I decided to grab some Powerade, too. Then we hit Mile 5. I was feeling good, running all the time. My sciatica was twinging a tiny bit, and my right ankle, too, but nothing major. We turned onto Anaheim Blvd, and when we hit the first medical station, I decided to go ahead and grab some biofreeze. I quickly smeared it on my ankle and right glute, and kept going. The humidity was crazy. To get the biofreeze off my hand, I swiped at the back of my neck, which was drenched with sweat and the water I kept pouring on my head.

We hit Mile 6 on Cerritos – and I was pleased to notice that I was making up good time. I was calculating about an 11 minute mile off the start clock and the previous miles. I had already made up nearly 3 minutes. Another water stop as we turned onto Lewis Street.

All this time we saw lots of police officers, cheerleaders, marching bands. And families of the runners. A dad near me saw 3 boys cheering on their dad, and lamented, “Where are my kids?” I empathized and said something about it being nice to have family on the route. He then said that he only lived 5 miles from where we were. Oh. I was glad to have the excuse that my kids were in Colorado. I felt bad for him.

We passed the 10k chip mats (1:09:54). There was a group of Hawaiian dancers on this street (I think) – and there was a cute group of little girls in their grass skirts and leis. Adorable!

We turned back onto Ball St for mile 7 – over halfway finished – YAHOO! I decided to dig into my Clif Blok Shots and had one – yummy! Back onto Cerritos for Mile 8 and another water/Powerade station. We crossed the Orange Freeway, took a short jaunt down Douglass Road and got onto a nice dirt bike trail. That was a nice surprise for me. I like trail running. Another Clif Blok Shot gave me more energy.

The past few miles were pretty boring, and I relied on my iPod to keep me distracted. I kept hoping that it wouldn’t quit working before the finish. Each mile was a triumph.
As I was running down, I heard Rob Bass’ Joy and Pain and sang it to myself. A guy next to me said – “Keep singing – sounds good!” So I felt bolstered, sang the chorus a bit louder and used that energy to pass more people as we came upon Mile 9.

Joy! And Pain!
Like Sunshine
And Rain

We passed the 15K chip mats (1:42:51).

From 20080830 Maida's Trip to California

Then we came around Angel’s Stadium. Here there were even more cheerleaders, bands, girl/boy scouts. We hit Mile 10, another water station and I had another Clif Blok Shot. “Only 5k to go!” I yelled. “Almost there – WOO HOO!”

We hit Mile 11 as we turned onto S Anaheim Way, and I was so happy! We went through a tunnel and then back onto Disney Way. I caught and passed the 2:30 Clif Pace group – and I was feeling good as we hit Mile 12. Just 1.1 to go!

From 20080830 Maida's Trip to California

I got a picture with the Monsters, Inc. crew and Elastigirl as we re-entered Disney’s California Adventure and then blew through Downtown Disney for the finish. As we passed the 13 mile clock, I was bummed to see it read 2:30:10 already.

I rounded the corner to the finish, and saw the clock ahead at the finish read 2:28!!! – so I started booking it! I really wanted to finish under 2:30:00.

From 20080830 Maida's Trip to California

I heard my name from the announcer as I crossed. YAHOO! I ran the whole thing!

I grabbed a bottle of water and a glove full of ice from the medical tent. I shoved the ice glove down my back and chugged the water.

From 20080830 Maida's Trip to California

Then it was a blur – chip removal, then I got my medal. Shortly afterwards, I got my Coast to Coast medal for doing both the Walt Disney World Marathon and this one.

I grabbed a bagel, banana, and mandarin oranges from the food tent. I got my photo taken with my medals. As I headed out, I saw the Pushing Daisies booth. They were giving out free pies courtesy of The Pie Hole. And I answered a trivia question and got a free Pushing Daisies Pie Cutter. (What was Ned’s beloved dog’s name? Starts with a D…
Digby!)

I checked out the overpriced tees and tanks from Disneyland commemorating the half – I had my tech shirt and it was nicer than anything I saw hanging there.

I walked back to the hotel. I started running a cold bath, then ran down to get 2 buckets of ice for the bath. I poured them in, took off my shoes, socks and tank and got in the tub with my shorts and running bra. Not cold enough. I went down and got 2 more buckets of ice. I got back in the tub and dumped those 2 in – Perfect. I closed my eyes and sat there until all the ice melted. I was beginning to think the water wwasn’t so cold anymore, so I checked the temp with my hands – BRRR – still super cold. I sat for a while longer.

Finally, I decided to get up, drain the tub and start my hot shower. Ahhhh…

Christine came in while I was in the shower – she finished and was doing okay – YAY!

I went online to check my official time

Distance	HALF MAR
Clock Time	2:28:56
Chip Time	2:21:23
Overall Place	4016 / 10849
Gender Place	1722 / 6407
Division Place	327 / 1021
Age Grade	48.2%
5K	37:10
10K	1:09:54
15K	1:42:51

2:21:23 Chip Time – YAHOO!!! 10:47 Pace overall – not too shabby.

I’m definitely a half marathon kind of gal.

It’s true. I really do. I don’t have much time to do it anymore, but I wish I did.

When I was in junior high, high school and college, I spent time in the arcades. Frogger, Missile Command, Joust, Dig Dug, Centipede, Gauntlet, Rampage, Crystal Castles and my all time favorite – Tempest. At home we had an Atari system – Pitfall and Space Invaders were my favorites to play. We even played Castle Wolfenstein on our Apple IIe.

After I joined the Air Force in 1988, I guess I lost interest. We were always going out and partying (or staying in the dorms and partying) when we weren’t working/eating/sleeping/working out.

Then I think I was anti-game for a while. I really wasn’t interested in having a game system in the house.

In 2001, through a radio station giveaway at my dojo, I entered a drawing and won an XBox. I immediately thought that I would just give it to my nephew Tyler.

Until I took it home and tried it. Then I was hooked. I think the first game I got was Munch’s Odyssey. I really had fun with it.

Then came Halo.

Cue Halo Theme

I was hooked. I picked a great game to be my very first first person shooter game. We played cooperative campaign all the way through on Easy, Normal, Heroic and Legendary. Throughout my pregnancy with Zander, we played nearly every night. After Zander was born, I swear the familiar sounds of us killing aliens lulled him to sleep at night. When friends came over, it was all about multiplayer – and the joy of hearing “Killing Spree” as I mowed down all my friends with a sniper rifle or a rocket launcher.

As Zander got a bit older, I wasn’t able to play as much. Zander and I spent a good deal of time watching Dad play Morrowind. Then Zevan was born. And later in 2004, Halo 2 was released. Of course we got it. And the discovery of wielding multiple weapons and the ability to use an energy sword made the game really fun. What sucked was that it had a cliffhanger ending. And Halo 3 would be created for XBox 360. Which we still don’t have. And I have not yet played.

When Zander was 4, we introduced him to video games on our XBox. Cars, Finding Nemo and Godzilla. Then we had to take Godzilla away until he turned 5 because it made him overexcited and prone to tantrums. Then we got a Nintendo 64 which got him introduced to more kid friendly games like Yoshi’s Story (which I love but am not very good at) and Pokemon Snap. And Zevan got into the games as well.

And then they graduated to a GameCube. And now they’re playing games that I actually enjoy playing with them – like Teen Titans or Lego Star Wars. And that they actually ask me to play with them.

Nothing warmed my heart more than, “Mom, you have to play Teen Titans with us. We always get farther on the level when you play with us.”

It’s even more fun when Doug comes in, and we invite him to join us. Yep, it’s pretty cool.

I’m glad I’m a mom that likes playing video games.

This haiku sums it up –

So, yippee for me
I manifested a Wii
Oh, thank you, Karma

So today turned out pretty good. Took the boys to school, worked, chatted with a neighbor, went for a 3 mi run, worked some more, showered, picked up Zevan, had my annual with Dr. Baer (best OB/GYN ever), went to the mall with Zevan for lunch (and picked up a Bionicles game for $6 for the GameCube), ate a dark chocolate caramel from Rocky Mtn Chocolate, picked up Zander, came home, tried unsuccessfully to take them to the library (they wanted to stay home and play), worked, did laundry, picked up around the house…

At 6:25 PM, I left for the climbing gym. And had a fabulous climbing night. I climbed two 5.11s (mostly clean), a 5.10 (not so much) and a 5.11- I left the gym feeling powerful and pleased. May climbed those, too. And Lisa joined us for the last 3 climbs. We did push ups and dips tonight, too.

Then we went to Ruby Tuesday to meet up with Candy and Megan. Good food and conversation. It had been a while since we ALL were together. It was really nice.

Then I realized that I forgot to get new inside shoes for Zander for school. He outgrew the ones from last year. So first I stopped by King Soopers to pick up random essentials, but they had no shoes. I went by Wal-Greens, just as they closed. I decided to just go to Wal-Mart.

On the way there, I envisioned this scenario in my head:

I casually go by the electronics counter, looking around. “May I help you?” someone asks me.

” Do you know if you will get in any more Wiis?”

“You’re in luck. A shipment just arrived.”

Or something like that. I played it over and over in my mind.

So, I did casually go to the electronics area, looked in the usual spots for the Wii, and didn’t see any. An employee was locking up a case, and as he stood up, I asked, as casually as possible, ” Do you think you’ll get any more Wiis in?”

“Yes. We have one.”

I asked if I could please have it. He teased me and said it was up for the highest bidder, and that was for $300. I raised my eyebrow at him, thought for a second, and just grinned and said, “Pretty Please?”

“Okay.”

He did try to upsell me and said he’d have to get management approval to sell it separately. I mentioned the ad said nothing about a bundle package. He said that they only get Wiis back in stock if they sell an accessory with it. I acted appropriately concerned ::), then said I was already overextending myself by buying the Wii. The managers were in a meeting, of course, so I had to wait. So I went shopping for Zander’s slippers for school.

I went back a couple of times, and the meeting was still going on. So I waited patiently. When I saw the clerk again, he told me I was in luck and gave me a big speech about how I the manager was doing me a HUGE favor, etc, etc.

I didn’t care. I just smiled and let him go on. I was getting a Wii for $249 plus tax –

Photos from Day 4

I awoke around 7:30 AM and looked over to see that Zander was awake in the sofabed. I went over to snuggle with him and then got up to start the packing.

Stuff was strewn about the room, so I took a semi-structured approach, working across the hotel room in sections. Zander and I chatted as I unpacked, then I opened the darkening curtain so that we could get some light in. Zevan and Doug got up, and the boys played with their new stuffed animals/souvenirs while Doug showered and then we both continued packing. Doug took the boys to get breakfast, while I packed and showered.

We asked the boys what they would like to do today and they chose the zoo to see some animals that we didn’t get to see yesterday. So I grabbed a bagel with cream cheese while they finished loading up the car. And then we checked out and headed to the zoo.

We asked the boys what animals they wanted to see today that they missed. Zevan said toucans (?) and Zander said koala bears. I also really wanted to see the koala bears. Zevan also definitely wanted to ride the Skyfari sky ride.

We walked up to through Absolutely Apes and the Parker Aviary on the way to the Owens Rain Forest Aviary. We spotted a lot of the birds from the guide board. I found myself wishing they had the guide cards in the aviaries, like they do at the Wild Animal Park at Disney World.

We then walked through Sun Bear Forest and passed the Lion tailed Macaques on the way to catch the Express Bus to take us closer to the koalas. We got on the bus and took a nice ride up to the next stop, which took us around the elephants and giraffes. When we got off the bus, we took that loop by foot and leisurely observed the elephants, who were much closer to us than we usually get to see at our own Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. They also have more elephants than we do.

We also viewed the giant anteater, capybaras, tapirs and few more species. Then we took a short walk over to the Koala Exhibit. They were all asleep, curled around branches in the trees. Oh, they were so ADORABLE! I just love them.

We grabbed lunch at Sydney’s Grill, where we discussed the timetable for the rest of the trip. We figured that we had enough time to take the Skyfari, visit the polar bears, take the Skyfari back to the exit, and then leave with enough time to return the rental car, and get to the airport on time.

We all decided that if we had time and money, we wished we could stay longer in San Diego. Zander even said he’d like to live here. Yep, me too!

Another discussion ensued about Zander and Zevan wanting to add yet another animal to their collection. Lots of begging and pretty pleases from the ZBoys. I refused. Then I realized that I do have some leverage – their allowance. So we asked them if they would be willing to give up 2 weeks worth of allowance in order to buy another stuffed animal from the zoo. “That’s $10!” Zander exclaimed. After a couple of minutes, he decided it would be worth it.

So we finished up lunch and headed toward the Skyfari area, took it across, visited the polar bears, and then took the Skyfari back to the exit.

When we hit the gift shop on the way out, Zevan was able to immediately pick out a Komodo dragon. Zander had a much harder time deciding. He really deliberated over several animals, and couldn’t make a firm decision. I mentioned to him that it is harder to pick something out when it’s his own money. He finally decided on a peacock.

And we headed out to return the rental car – and now here we are in the airport, waiting to board our flight.

Bye San Diego!

Photos from Day 3

Zander and I woke up together this morning – and I suddenly noticed that he wasn’t sucking his thumb. And I thought for a bit, and realized it had been a long time since I saw him sucking his thumb. Holy cow! He has stopped sucking his thumb!

I smiled, and said, “Wow, you stopped sucking your thumb, didn’t you?” He nodded.

I gushed about how proud I was of him doing it all on his own, and about what an amazing kid he is. He beamed.

We both got up and got dressed while Zevan and Doug slept. I suggested that he and I go grab breakfast. His reply? “That sounds good, but Dad and Zevan might worry about us and wonder where we are.”

I told him it would be okay. In fact, Doug stirred and asked us what was going on right before we left, so we told him our plan. I grabbed our swim suits and we walked down to the laundry room to throw them in the dryer (they were still wet from swimming last night).

Zander and I had a nice breakfast together in the continental breakfast room. We made waffles Then I stopped by the lobby to get information about going to the beach this morning. And we got the swim suits out of the dryer.

After breakfast, we came back to the room. Doug was on his laptop, and Zevan “scared” us when we opened the door.

I got Zevan dressed and asked him and Doug what they wanted for breakfast. I went down and grabbed food for them (waffle and boiled egg for Zevan, toasted bagel with cream cheese for Doug). While they ate, I packed a beach bag, a bag with a change of clothes and a bag for the zoo later.

After they ate, we put on swim suits and headed out to Mission Beach. It was a nice short drive, and we were able to park and walk right onto the beach. No beach tags required.

The boys got right into the water. Zander said to me, “This is awesome, isn’t it, Mom?”

They really enjoyed the surf and waves. As well as playing in the sand. We took pictures and video. It was really nice.

Afterwards, we went up to rinse off in the showers. Zander wanted to change into his dry clothes, so we took him to the car to do that, and the rest of us stayed in our swimsuits and got lunch. I got a steak sandwich and cheese whiz fries. Doug got a calzone, and the boys each got a HUMONGOUS slice of pizza. Easily over twice the size of a Poor Richard’s slice. Craziness. We ate outside. It was a nice day.

After lunch, we drove back to the hotel. The boys wanted to rest a bit. Doug and I both showered and changed. Zevan just changed. The ZBoys laid down for maybe 5 minutes. Then they were unable to nap or snuggle. Doug and I laid down for maybe 15 minutes. We would have rested longer, but the kids were antsy, so we just decided to head out to the zoo.

We were able to find a free parking spot close to the entrance – score! We took the requisite photo in front of the San Diego Zoo sign of the boys, and then went in. Zander really wanted to take the bus tour (included in our 3 for 1 pass), but the line was long, so we decided to head over to the reptile house first. That was fun – we were able to spot the reptile in each exhibit but one (and it was iffy that there was something actually in that one).

After the reptile house, we took the sky ride over to the Polar Bear Plunge. We checked out the pigs exhibits along the way. The first viewing area was a snore – there was one polar bear, asleep, on top of the rocks. When we got to the 2nd display area, there was a polar bear in the water, playing with a ball. We watched him for a while, and then went outside so the boys could climb on the silver polar bear statues. As we left, there was a big commotion at the first viewing area, apparently the sleeping bear need to take a dip. Zevan asked, “Mom, is that the same bear that was on the rock?”

We then headed down in the direction of the panda bears. We went by the zebras, then birds of prey, past the entrance of the Ituri Forest down to Panda Reserach Center. The line was long, but moving quickly, so we got in line. Well, Doug and Zander got in line, and Zevan and I went to get us ice cream to eat while we were in line. I was able to get a cup of swirl soft serve with two cones, so that made things easy for us. The pandas are just such cool animals to look at. The dad, Gua Gua was fairly active and had a dirty butt. In the 2nd enclosure, we saw the mom sitting around, and the baby was conked out wrapped around a branch in a tree. So cute!

We headed back to the Ituri Forest. We saw tons of animals – hippos, okapis, guenons, turacos and more. And of course, I *had* to see the tigers. We did get to see the mom pacing back and forth at the top of their enclosure. The best part was that we got to see the cutest baby tiger cub, romping around a bit closer to us, and then back up by his mom.

While viewing the animals near the aviary, Zander suddenly announced that he had to go to the bathroom immediately. We, of course, were no where near a bathroom. We rushed through several exhibits, got to the tree house and finally got to the bathroom. Zander went with his dad, and Zevan came with me. And he had to poop. Of course. So I stood in a cramped stall while he went to the bathroom. In the handicapped stall next to us, I heard another mom with her young child also on the toilet. I over heard him asking for something and she told him that she left them in her purse (not with her). So from under our stall, I asked, “Do you need flushable wipes?” and stuck them under neath the wall. Her son was delighted and she sounded relieved and appreciative. Her son struck up a conversation with us. I found out that he was also 4 years old, and had had a Speed Racer birthday party, and lived in California. They finished before we did, so we never did see each other.

Zander came in to check on us. I told him that Zevan wasn’t ready yet, and Zander left to report to Dad.

FINALLY Zevan finished up and we got out of there and back to looking at animals.

We continued through the Itrui Forest for a good long time. I think we got turned around quite a bit. I really wanted to see the gorillas. And it felt like we kept going around wherever they were. We did see lots more animals – like pygmy hippos and alligators, and lots of different monkeys, carnivorous plants and birds. We did finally find the Gorilla Tropics, and were worried that we saw no gorillas in the first few viewing areas. Then we finally did see them – the whole troop. It was really fun and amazing to watch. We also saw the orangutans and a few more simians.

We headed out of the Ituri Forest, towards the zoo exit, which was near the bus tour station. As we were figuring out if we should go, Zander said he changed his mind and didn’t want to take the bus tour. Then, of course, Zevan said that he really wanted to go on the bus tour. So, I bought two bags of chips and we headed over to the bus tour line. Which was actually pretty short. We missed the first loading, but got right on the second one. It was a nice tour of the park – quick and covered a lot of ground. It also showed us that we basically missed about 2/3 of the zoo. So we did get a quick peek at the Cats and Dogs, the elephants, giraffes, koalas and wallabies, and so much more.

After that we hit the gift shop and headed out to the car. We drove directly into downtown to get dinner at The Fish Market. By the time we got there it was late. I dropped Doug off at the door to get us on the list. The boys and I drove around looking/waiting for a parking spot. It didn’t take as long as it did when we went to Little Italy, but it was still a pain. We walked over to the restaurant where Doug was waiting for us. The wait was going to be fairly long. So we had a potty break, then I grabbed some kid activity books and crayons from the hostess station. We worked on those a while. finally, they took us to our table. Which was outside on the terrace. Doug and I never got seated out there – it was pretty cool! But then it turned out that the heater over our table was broken. And then Zander insisted it was too cold for him and he couldn’t stay out there to eat.

Doug, Zevan and I were crestfallen. But there was no talking him out of it, so they said they would give us the first available table inside, and hopefully it wouldn’t be too long. Zander kept complaining, so Doug took him inside. Zevan and I continued to wait outside. When the waitress finally got us for our table inside, Zevan totally fell apart. He started crying and saying he wanted to eat outside. I didn’t know what to say, I wanted to eat outside, too. So I brought him inside. He was inconsolable. The hostess brought over chocolate, and that didn’t appease him. I think it was just too much – he was tired, it was late. I was beyond frustrated with Zander – he was the only one who wanted to come inside, and he got his way. I wished that he could have just stuck it out and took one for the team, but that’s just not a concept for 5 year olds. Oh well.

Zevan never recovered. When the food arrived, he was sad and having trouble keeping his eyes open. He took one bite of rice and none of his snapper. He put his head on the table and promptly fell asleep. Zander took like 5 bites of his food and announced he was tired and wanted to go home.

Doug and I exchanged “the look.” And we ate quickly while I told Zander that we understood that he was tired and wanted to go. And not to mention it anymore. At all. In fact, it would be best if he just waited quietly. I finished eating, and took the boys to the car while Doug took care of the check. Again, Zander tried to complain, and I just said that was enough and not to talk about it anymore. I was brusque and curt as we got into the car.

I know I expected too much from them so late. It’s just so hard when it is always about the kids and never gets to be about what Doug and I would like to do.

We picked Doug up and headed back to the motel.

And here we are. Everyone else is asleep but me. I’m going to do a bit more pre-packing now, and then go to bed.

Photos from Day 2

Zander was up first today and crawled into bed with me and Doug from their sofabed. We snuggled for a while, and he chattered with us. I finally decided to get up out of bed and try out the free internet.

Bad idea. Immediately, I found that 2 of my clients had some fairly urgent issues that I needed to take care of. The boys chattered and irritated me because they were being loud and I was unable to think straight. Doug took them to the continental breakfast so I could finish working in peace.

Once they were out of the room, I was able to think clearly and solve each problem in turn. Then I cleared out my inboxes (marked SPAM, deleted stuff that I didn’t need to read, and sent a couple of replies). I got dressed and packed the backpack for the day (3 bottles of water, 1 diet coke, sunscreen, antibacterial gel, flushable wipes, tissues and lip balm).

I headed down to the breakfast just as they were coming back. It was actually pretty good. They had boiled eggs (the one I opened had a nearly all green yolk – yuck), and I ended up toasting a sesame bagel and schmeared it with cream cheese and a cup of hot chocolate. I was sorely tempted by the Lucky Charms, but passed on those.

I brought my breakfast to the pool area, where the boys were wading and ate quickly. We stopped by the room to pick up the backpack and I filled a plastic bag with ice from the ice maker to keep the drinks cool for as long as possible.

Note to self: next trip, bring the backpack cooler and those blue gel ice packs. Oh, and the car boosters – hello?!

Doug went to the office to get directions to the Wild Animal Park. I went back up to the room and grabbed the audio book. It took us 30 minutes to get there. We paid for preferred parking – and got to park in the first 2 rows! Again, so worth it.

From the entrance, I suggested heading straight for the Journey Into Africa safari. It was on the complete other end of the park. Along the way we stopped to see a few animals, but I really wanted to get us to the main attraction first. It was hot. And thankfully, the park was full of misters and quite a few shady spots. And I noted things for us to look for on our way back.

We took the Rift Lift down and had been observing the Air Balloon ride from the moment we got to the park. I wondered how much extra that ride would be. I was shocked to find that it would be $20 EACH for anyone over 2 years old.

Okay, we’re not spending $80 frakking dollars to do that. Hello?! Zevan was SO disappointed. When we passed it after the safari and water playground, he cried for 15 minutes over it. It was so sad. I kind of wanted to carry him over and pass him off as a 2 year old and then maybe just ride with him. But that would have left Zander and Doug out, so I had to hold my ground and let him cry about it. It was so sad.

But back to the safari ride. It was REALLY cool. Zander was a little bit touchy and rude however – I think it was the heat and low blood sugar) – and it was work to try and enjoy the ride despite his attitude.

We saw so many animals, but the saddest story was of the white rhino – there are only 7 left in existence. 2 in San Diego and 5 at the Dvůr Králové Zoo in the Czech Republic. Sadly, these are probably the last of their kind. It turns out that females will only reproduce if they have a female best friend with them. And they keep the same best friend for life. It’s such a sad story.

We saw lots of giraffes, gazelles, antelopes, rhinos, African birds, gnus, ostriches, kudu, zebras and impalas. Our tour did stop briefly for a medical emergency, which turned out to be a young boy in the tram car in front of us who totally lost his lunch. Poor thing. I had been using the quickly melting bag of ice to cool us off during the ride. Otherwise, that might have been us.

After we disembarked from that tour, we planned to grab lunch somewhere to get everyone’s blood sugar to normal, nice levels. On the way we took a detour through the Lion Camp. At first, we were disappointed to see empty display areas. But then we got to the main area and they had just released the lions into the exhibit with hunks of meat. It was a good sized pride – a male, maybe 2 females and lots of cubs. They gave us a good show in the main area. Then they all bounded through all the display areas that we initially found empty. They settled in on the first display we saw, which had a big drum that the male lion sat on, next to the display window, while the others climbed in and on a gutted car there for their play. One cub tried to climb on the drum with dad, only to be roared at and sent back down to the ground, settling on being able to paw at dad. It was AWESOME!

We headed back up, past the balloons (where Zevan had his big tantrum) and then through 2 sets of mister tents, and stopped at the Savanna Cool Zone to cool off. Zander refused, but Zevan got right in there and got soaked. I got wet, too – it was so refreshing. I did pull Zander in there, he was more than reluctant, and then let him go while Zevan and I played around some more. Then we headed up to get lunch. Back up the Rift Lift, there was a snack area at the top. The menu was limited and there was nothing there to interest me or the boys. We consulted our map and headed to Samburu Terrace.

A burger for me, grilled chicken sandwich and Corona for Doug, and chicken tender kids meals for the boys (3 chicken tenders, chips, raisins, animal cookies and small drink – all in a souvenir bucket with souvenir cup – a pretty good deal actually). We had a nice lunch on the terrace overlooking the grounds. Once we were all fed and hydrated, things were nice and happy again.

After lunch, we walked through the Heart of Africa area – okapis, ground hornbills, warthogs, elands, duikers, flamingos, storks and more. What I really wanted to see was the cheetah. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a real live cheetah before. And I got to see a couple of them. Far away, under a fallen tree, and I mostly just saw their heads. It was a little disappointing, but still cool. We even fed the ducks (and catfish).

We headed again back up past the balloon ride and up the Rift Lift. This time we stopped and I bought the boys hats. Zander chose a really cool hat with good sun protection, a floppy brim and neck covering. He looked so cute in it with his big grin. Zevan chose a primary colored baseball cap with a propeller on top. That looked unbelievably adorable.

We passed the gibbons (did you know that males are black and females are tan?) and saw the cutest baby female gibbon. The boys and I went to the Lorikeet Landing and got nectar to feed the lorikeets. Doug has a bit of a bird aversion, so he opted out. The Lorikeets were not shy at all about getting the nectar and the boys were able to feed many of them. However, the birds were a little bit agressive which led to spilled nectar and at one point, a lorikeet grabbed the nectar cup right out of Zevan’s hand.

While I was trying to get him some more nectar from my cup, a lorikeet landed on my shoulder from behind! I brought my cup over to the bird to eat, then held my arm straight to see if he would let go of me. I looked back and he was chewing on the strap of my backpack! Then he walked down my arm to my outstretched hand and started lapping up more nectar. I was freaking out just a little bit. Finally I shook him off, unable to stand it anymore. (A similar thing happened to me at the Budgie Buddies exhibit at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo – a bird landed on my chest right as I walked into the exhibit with my food stick).

I refilled Zander and Zevan’s cup with my remaining nectar and let them feed the birds some more. It was actually really cute and I think I got some good pictures.

After that we stopped for a root beer float on our way across the park to The Poop Show at the Discovery Center. It was a campy show, a bit too punny but cute for the kids.

After that, we went around lemur island, where we caught a glimpse of a baby lemur, then we got an ice cream cone to share, went back near lemur island to feed the ducks at Zander’s request. I’m not exactly sure when, but we also saw red river hogs, dik-diks, babirusa and more.

Finally we headed out for the day. We got back to the room and no one was hungry for dinner yet, so we all went out to the pool for a swim. It was nice and we were the only ones in the pool for a long time.

After about 45 minutes (maybe more) we all headed up to the room for a shower. We reheated the boys meals from Little Italy the night before and Doug went out to grab Popeye’s for us (lame, I know, but I really think I wanted comfort food). The boys worked on several pages of their workbooks, and then finally went off to bed. Doug went to sleep early, too. And I have been typing this entry (and finishing yesterday’s) ever since.

And now I’m going to bed – tomorrow we are going to the San Diego Zoo!